Regained Motions
by SinGrin
Summary: After the last chain was severed the Aristos fell, yes, but not to sleep. First into the black of the void then into the grey of this sad world so different from our own. The stars here speak in unfamiliar tongues but they still push us to find something. Something precious that all of us must protect. I sense a familiar evil here only now it is blacker... Colder... Stronger...


I should probably be focusing on _'Ta-Dah! Our Amazing Life!' _But this big guy's been banging around my head for a good year and a half. The good thing about my mindless, soul sucking job and avoidance of social interactions is that my mind is constantly trying to find ways to entertain itself... by imagining violence, magic, and sex. :) You guys just happen to bear witness to what I get down on paper and I couldn't be more grateful for that.

This takes place Post Tsviets, and post-Veros

MAJOR SPOILERS: FFVII, FFVII Advent Children, FFVII Dirge of Cerberus, and Infinite Undiscovery. If you do not know and do not want to know what happens in the end of aforementioned games before you finish them, do that before reading this instead of blaming me!

Of course, Le Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, FFVII Advent Children, and FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus belongs to Squaresoft, SQUARE ENIX and the all powerful brain of Tetsuya Nomura. Infinite Undiscovery belongs to SQUARE ENIX, tri-Ace and, for some reason, Microsoft.

But... *sigh* not to me.

Just letting you know, Savio, Seraphina, and Touma may be a bit out of character because of circumstances later explained in the story. So, enough babble, you may commence reading (Or hell, if you skip the top announcements, like I usually do, then you've already commenced reading and thus my fingers have gone through the effort of typing this out for no reason at all.)

Just as a warning, there is a homosexual relationship in this story and what do ya know, people in [romantic] relationships tend to have sex (along with other shows of affection and intimacy, of course, but the warning itself is for the sex)

* * *

Chapter One: Emersion

I said goodbye to Komachi and Genma. I shall wake again. I said it myself, and any real man should honor his word. But, for now, I must rest; it is warm and dark here. Yes, I will sleep for a while.

It seems as if I have spent a small eternity in this void. It takes a good deal of focus and even then I have the lost, vague feeling one gets when they are just about to fall asleep and time becomes distorted. It is peaceful, in the void, dim, but not too dark, quiet, but not the loud kind of silence.

A ripple and a flash jar me from my peaceful half-slumber and now I am falling, falling, falling...

Sigmund, Capell, my happy young son, playing on my balcony on his eighth birthday. Last I remember, I had fallen asleep and was somehow unable to wake.

But I am happy, I am surrounded by my children and all of those whom I love. Could it really be that we are all here together? I look at their happy faces. But I can't help but feel that I'm missing something...

They defeated me but could not kill me. Of course, who could kill a god?

WHAM!

I wake suddenly, slightly confused but my hand has already snatched Cerberus from its holster. My eyes squint through the sudden blindingly bright light searching for the source. It dissipates before I manage to spot where it came from but a soft groan from the floor a few feet away distracts me from my search. I'm very near the center of the upper plate in the ruins of Midgar. No one else in their right minds should be anywhere near this place, especially not... a child?

I lower the monstrous handgun a little, not pointing the weapon directly at the small figure but at the ready, just in case. Memories of Shelke flit through my mind and I grasp the handle of the weapon a little tighter.

I watch her as she slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position facing away from me. She groans, rubbing a tiny hand over her eyes. She is even smaller than I thought. This girl looks like she still wets the bed. And... She's also completely nude. What is a little girl, much less a naked one doing way out here? I take a few silent steps closer Cerberus held pointed at the floor but still at the ready. In an attempt not to scare her half to death if against all odds she was just a normal kid I allow my shadow to fall across her field of vision and make a bit more nose on the next step towards her. She turns quickly her large auburn eyes wide with alarm and a level of self awareness that's startling.

She stands keeping her large eyes locked on me the entire time. Finally she breaks eye contact with me and looks around hesitantly as if she's not entirely sure that she's allowed to. Her eyes land on Cerberus with hesitant curiosity and trepidation. A chilly breeze sweeps past causing a shiver to rack through her small body. Her eyes widen with what seems to be realization, she gasps and looks down her eyes first lingering on her flat chest and lower areas in what seemed to shock before she remembers she has company. Quickly, she covers herself with her arms and hands and her head whips around in search of anything that she could cover herself with before directing her gaze back at me in an almost accusing way. Sighing I put Cerberus back in its holster and go into the adjoined room giving her a pointed look telling her not to go anywhere. I find some ragged curtains, hoping that this will do, I tear one of them down and return to the patio handing her the piece of fabric.

She takes it hesitantly. But a quiet "Thank you." slips from her lips. Despite already seeing her naked, I decide that I should give the girl some privacy as she dresses. I turn back around when the rustling of fabric stops. She's tied the curtain just below her armpits.

"Who are you?" She finally asks those eyes bore into me with a regal quality I can't think of someone her age possibly having. Surprisingly, she doesn't seem to be outwardly afraid of me like other children are. Well, Marlene wasn't afraid of me when she was young, but that was because she knew I was Cloud's friend. This girl's tone is wary and her eyes are still cautiously taking every aspect of me in, lingering for a moment longer on my gauntlet and again, Cerberus.

"Vincent." I answered.

"My name is Svala." She gives me a small smile that was stiff at the edges... her eyes calculating, wary, but not cold. She stands with grace and poise, her back straight as an arrow and her hands gently folded over one another and hovering over the area just below her navel. "What happened to me?" She asks.

"I don't know."

"Then can you tell me what you do know?" She asks, impatience heavy in her voice with an edge of panic to it.

"There was a light, and then you were dropped here." I say shaking my head slightly. "That's all I saw."

She begins to pace, a pensive frown on her delicate features, it's very strange to see a child behave in such a way. "Where am I?" She finally asks turning to look at me again.

"Midgar"

"I have never heard of it. What part of the continent is it on?" She catches sight of something behind me and hurries to the railing to look over the ruins. Her feet barely missing the pieces of twisted metal, broken concrete and shattered glass scattered across the balcony floor. Her eyes become incredibly larger when they begin to really take in the devastated landscape and the distant lights of Edge on the border of the ruins. She looks up and her jaw drops. After a moment I follow her line of sight to the large full moon in the sky.

"Oh my." Her voice sounds weak. I watch her as she backs away from the edge of the balcony. Alarms begin to go off in my head making the demons stir irritably "Vincent." She sounded her eyes looking straight at me. "Can you- can you tell me what you call this world?"

Hm... "We call it Planet."

"Planet?"

I nod.

"So somehow, I fell asleep, was made into a child again and was put into an entirely different world, and so much younger..." She mutters mostly to herself. "How is this possible?"

Farther from the answer than she is, I choose to remain silent and observe. Moments later we're interrupted by another flash of blinding light. She looks over the edge setting her hands on the railing. With a jolt I see the corroded iron give away to her weight and she tumbles over the edge. It's a reflex allowing a small fraction of Chaos' power out as I dove after her. I catch her around the waist and switch into Chaos' vapor form to slow our fall. I scrape the ground in front of me with my foot trying to clear a small place of the larger pieces of broken glass metal and general debris so I can set her down. She pants against my cheek her thin arms are wrapped in a vice grip around my neck, she's obviously shaken, but unharmed.

"Thank you." She relaxes a little and I take that as my cue to set her down. Something catches my eye.

"Friend of yours?" I ask nodding my head in the direction of someone lying face down on the pavement a little ways away.

She looks at the lifeless form for a moment then takes a quick step in their direction. I take hold of her shoulder before she can go any farther. She looks up at me, irritation one I counter with what I hope is a stern enough look. She frowns but allows me to take hold of her hand and lead her behind me towards the robed person. Apparently she sees something I don't and gasps.

"A high Aristo of Fayel!" She asked. "What is one doing here?"

She lets go of my hand to run to the 'Aristo'. She pushes at their side, but she was nowhere close to strong enough to turn the body over.

"Vincent," She says turning to look up at me. "Please, help me turn her over." She pleads urgently. Well, whoever it is isn't attacking her. I push them onto their back. "Is she breathing?" Svala asks hovering over me. I glance over my shoulder to make sure it was really safe to turn my back on her before leaning slowly over the unconscious woman I tuck my hair over my shoulder and hold my cheek over the young woman's slack mouth. I pull down her hood and feel her neck for a pulse and wait thirty long seconds, there still isn't any sign of one. Her skin is cold and when I turned her over I had felt the beginnings of rigor mortis. The woman is dead and had been for at least few hours, it seems. Svala looks expectantly at me. I shake my head and her face falls. She stares at the woman. I allow her some time to recuperate But soon it's time to leave. "It's not safe for you to be here. I have to bring you back to the city."

She nods. I lift her up holding her beneath the arms. At first she seems surprised and a little agitated at this but doesn't say a word. I hold her to my front wrapping one arm soundly beneath her backside and placing the hand of the other arm in the center of her back. "Hold on." I say I wait until her arms are tightly wound around my neck before setting off to Edge at an inhumanly quick pace. She looks around at the scenery flitting by, her eyes wide and hungry taking in every part of the landscape they can.

"What happened here?" Svala asks.

"It's a long story." My mood darkens. I have no desire to tell her my part in it.

"A war?"

"Of sorts. But something else caused this."

"What could have caused devastation like this?" Her curious eyes turn to focus on me now. I wish I could simply vanish instead of answering her question.

I remain silent but I can't help my eyes gravitating in the direction of the ruins of the old Shin-Ra building in the distance

"Are there attempts being made to rebuild?" Svala asks seemingly understanding her other question won't be answered.

"No."

"Why not?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Many reasons."

"Such as?"

"It's filled with monsters and the air is still polluted." I turn to look at her. "It's too painful to live here for most people for other reasons too."

"You were here." Svala points out.

"..."

There's a silence interrupted only by my rapid footsteps.

"I saw you transform into smoke... when you saved me. May I ask how you accomplished that?"

"That's a long story too."

She seems to know when to leave things well enough alone because she went back to staring at the ruins with a soft "Alright."

* * *

BANG!

"Fuck!" I yell, suddenly awake, and fall off of my couch. I keep my head low instinctually making myself as small of a target as possible for gunfire. I look around for the source of the noise before I spot a white light fading from my kitchen, just visible around the corner. I don't bother switching off the television now blaring useless early morning ads. I creep back onto my couch from the floor and sneak a look over the top of it to see if there's anything anything suspicious. The adrenalin is pumpin' through my veins and my ears feel like they're twitching at the slightest noise. I wait for any more flashes of that white light, after a few moments of not seeing or hearing anything at all, I relax slightly. I grab my EMR from the coffee table. I switch it on before sneaking across the room as quietly as possible. A man like me, with a number of enemies probably ranging in the hundreds, can never be too careful.

I poke my head over the counter to find someone lying face-down on my kitchen floor.

Huh. They're completely naked.

I step out-still stayin' low and light enough to roll behind the wall again if I need to- I check the person's hands. Unarmed. There's no threat. I switch off my EMR and slip it into my pocket without collapsing it. Can't be too careful, yo. I go to my bathroom and grab a ratty old blue bathrobe and flip them onto their back.

It's a dude, or more accurately, a kid, a very weird looking one. Green (Yes _green_) hair, a little longer than shoulder length. His face is pretty masculine. He looks like he's in his late teens if not a little older. I examine his face closer and...

He really_ isn't _breathing. Shit!

Fumbling, I press my middle and index finger to the kid's pulse point. It's weak but it's definitely there. "Fuck, hold on, yo." I tilt the guy's head back and tug his mouth open. "Hope you brushed today, buddy." Taking a deep breath I dive in breathing out and filling the the guy's lungs with air. Two chest compressions. Dive back in again. And the lady from that first Aid class failed me. Stupid bitch. If she saw me now I'd get a freaking A+. The kid wakes up gasping and coughing.

"Take it easy, yo. Breathe." The green-haired kid's eyes shoot open at the sound of my voice and- Holy Shit. Bright Blue Eyes. He gasps when he spots me. He's frowning and are his eyes slipping in and out of focus.

"Hittin' the bottle too much there, kiddo? Shouldn't go for that much, man. You stopped breathin'." I say, licking my lips, there's a nice taste on them now. But not like liquor, come to think of it I didn't smell any on his breath either.

He sits up. He looks uncomfortable. But hey I can sympathize, wakin' up in a weird place and finding some old guy looking down at ya can't be the most comfortable situation he's been in. He won't make eye contact. "I am not drunk, if that is what you mean." Weird accent. Kay. He's frowning down at his lap. Then he seems to notice he's naked. A real sharp one here, yo. He quickly pulls on the bathrobe the right way. It fits him oddly well. His eyes are suspicious and calculating.

"Hey, no need for that look, yo." Don't want the kid thinkin' I'm a pervert. Last thing the Turks need is bad publicity. "You're the one that showed up here in your birthday suit." I hold up my hands. "You're not really my type, yo."

"Where am I?" He asks, pretty much ignoring my rant.

"My apartment. I have no idea how you got in here, though."

The Kid looks up and around. Weird guy. What's so confusing about kitchen appliances? It's like he's never seen a refrigerator before the way he's lookin' at it.

"What's your name?" This silence has gone on too long. The kid looks at me again. I shrug "You're the one who dropped in. Might as well let me know your name."

The guy frowned but nodded. "I am Savio."

"Savio?" I snort. Who is this guy? Some foreign model?

"Is there something wrong with my name?" Savio asks, his eyebrows raising. What a snob.

"Pff... No!" I wave my hand and roll my eyes. No need to piss this kid off. Might be fun but it has to be around two in the morning. Best to get him out of my house as fast as possible. He looks irritated. Maybe I should work on my lying. "Whatever, the name's Reno." I stick my hand out to shake. What? The kid jumped! Shit, maybe he knows I'm a Turk. I thought our reputation had gotten a bit better in the past few years. It's a pretty well-known secret that the Prez has contributed more than just money to the WRO in the past six to seven years. "Loosen up! Jeez! It's just a handshake, yo!" I say.

The kid's looking at me with narrowed eyes. Do I have something on my face? "Really?" He asks quietly.

"Uh, yeah. Hey, did ya bump your head or something, yo?"

"I... don't think I did." He answers.

"Well, anyways, as a reminder it's usually polite to shake someone's hand when they offer it to you." I say. He takes my hand but it sort of looks like he has no idea what to do with it.

"There we go, yo." I say. I hope I sound encouraging. I feel like I'm talking to a kid, well I guess I am, but I mean a real young one, yo. I adjust his hold on my hand a little before giving it a proper shake. Look at me using words like proper. Maybe I should stop working so much, I think a bit of Tseng might be rubbing off on me. "So, do you remember what happened? Ya come from a party? That trust-fund kid down the hall throws some pretty wild ones,yo."

He's frowning again. Seriously, this kid is gonna look sixty by the time he hits thirty "I have little idea of how I came to be here. Even less about how I came to be nude. Have the other Aristos awakened? How long has it been?" The kid talks like he's straight out of a movie. The kind with castles and knights. And what the hell are Aristos? The crazy ones just flock to me, huh?

"Alright, I understood you up until you said something about 'Aristoids' then I was pretty much lost after that." 'Kay, the kid's staring at me like I'm stupid. I don't think I've ever seen someone go so pale so quickly. Shit, is he gonna puke? Just in case I go to grab the trash can in the cupboard under the sink. He's trying to stand but his body looks like it doesn't wanna cooperate. "Hey easy there." I say. He's ignoring me. Brat. He get's his footing and he's wobbling off towards the doors to the balcony door. Balcony. Drunk kid. Shit!

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Where the hell are you going!?" I hurry after him. He's fumbling with the lock to the door.

"Please, open it." He asks."

"Just calm down, what is it?"

"Let me out!" He says. He's getting more upset by the second. Damn it Tseng's really better at this kind of crap.

"Not till I get an explanation first." This guy better not hurl himself off of the balcony or anything like that, he hasn't really shown me much of any sign that he was mentally stable up to this point. Better to be safe than sorry.

"I want to go outside so I might have something to explain!" Savio snaps. his hands desperately grasping at the sliding glass patio door and the wall. He gives up on the lock and slumps against the wall.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just let me look at the sky!" That's an odd request. What the hell is wrong with this kid.

"... Fine. But ya gotta promise me you won't do anything stupid."

The kid looks confused but agrees. I unlock the door and head out before him. I turn around and the look on his face would be funny in any other situation. Those weirdly bright eyes are as round as the moon they're staring at. He's covering his mouth. What's so shocking about the moon. Sure it's a bit bigger than usual but- Hey, is he shaking?

"What's wrong?"

"It appears that I have somehow been put into a different world than my own." He's still looking at the moon. Goddamnit, why do I always get the crazy ones?

Fine, I'll humor him for now. "And I'm guessing you didn't mean to come here."

The kid shakes his head 'no'.

"Then, do you remember how you got here?"

"Everyone..." The kid's looking at the ground now it almost seems like he doesn't want to accept his own words. He's pretty much just talkin' to himself. Might as well have a listen. "...every Aristo fell asleep after He was defeated... The void, and then I was here." What is that light? Holy- Is that materia in his hand!? If it is, it's not any kind of materia I've ever seen. Materia doesn't glow in a specific pattern or symbol like whatever this is does. And the light's completely different. There's almost a halo around it. A ball of light pops up over the kids head. I pull out my EMR.

"What is that thing?" My voice has automatically switched to the 'don't fuck with me' tone. I point at Savio's hand and then to the glowing ball hovering just above them with the EMR. He looks startled but explains quickly.

"This is called a Lunaglyph." Savio says flatly holding up his hand. "That is just a light I've summoned using Lunar Power. It won't hurt you." He faces me completely. Even in the dark I can tell his skin is turning even paler than it had been a moment ago and all the sudden he looked almost frightened. If this guy isn't careful, he's gonna faint again. Okay, this guy may be the real deal with the whole "from another wold" deal but that doesn't mean he's not still mentally unstable. The kid goes back inside. I follow. He sits himself on my couch. Perfect posture and everything. My back hurts just looking at him.

Damn it. The Planet'll never stop tossing up surprises for us will it? First Jenova (although that technically wasn't Planet) Sephiroth (which was actually mostly our fault), then the three Sephiroth wannabes (that was like, 70% the Planet's fault) then Deepground (Okay! Fine! All of this shit happened because of Shin-Ra!), now this guy (Not our fault... maybe). Fantastic.

"I will explain." Savio says. Yeah you better. Should I...? Well it's my couch. I sit on the opposite end of it. I keep one hand in my pocket and wrapped around my EMR.

Savio begins to speak. "If I tell you my theories, will you help me?"

"Depends on what you plan to do, yo."

"I do not plan on doing anything except for finding my way home."

"I'll listen, but make it good. Just because you got that luna-thing doesn't mean I believe you're from a completely different world."

I feel the kid's eyes on me. I look at him and he stares back blankly for a second before sighing and nodding. "I suppose that is acceptable. If our positions were reversed I would not believe all too easily either." He looks back ahead of him. As a quick thought, I pick the remote up off of the coffee table and switch the T.V. off.

"In my world lunaglyphs are commonplace. lunaglyphs and therefore, the people who have them, receive their power from Veros, the god of the moon. Most people obtain their lunaglyphs as infants soon after they are born by means of a Lunar Rite and become what we call Meages. Meages with the necessary traits go through a second rite later in their lives to become Aristos, a more powerful, longer living being than Meages. Aristos were put into power because of their extremely logical perspective on most things. However, they tend to lose touch with their human emotions as a result. It is difficult for Aristos to see anything else except for the larger picture and so are seen as cold and calculating when individual matters arise. We do have emotions, though, and compassion, when there is room for it. The power both Aristos and Meages receive from their Lunaglyph is determined by the moon's station in it's cycle at the time they were born. Those born under the new moon, however, cannot receive a Lunaglyph. They are called Unblesseds and, by law, are to be exiled once they are old enough to fend for themselves or killed at birth depending upon the region."

Killing babies and abandoning kids? I know my hands are nowhere near bloodless but -Explosions, Strife and Lockheart with their friends. People screaming and crying and yelling in the background- No, not going to remember that. Focus Reno. Focus.

Savio sighs "I had never lost someone I cared about either directly or indirectly because they were Unblessed. That made it easier to ignore. I saw no reason to question it, the way our society functioned in that respect had been established for so long... even before my time..." What are you? An old man?

"That's not sayin' much."

"Hm?"

"I mean how old can ya be?"

"I am 103 years old." Savio says simply. I nearly choke on my own spit. He says it so matter-of-factly!

"How?" I try to keep my tone even.

"Aristo's live longer lives than average humans. It is because of our ability to store massive amounts of Lunar energy in our bodies. We are not immortal and not all of us are able to live so long. Those of us who are stronger tend to live longer, but even a weak Aristo will be able to live longer than the average Meage. We are immune to most diseases, only a few that we know of, on rare occasions, have the potential to kill us." He explains.

This kid doesn't look a day over twenty. Ah well, I'll find out what his real age is later if I decide to help him out. "Well... that is all very interesting. But what I really wanna know, is how you got here and why, yo."

Savio nods slowly. He looks like he's thinkin' hard about something "I am afraid I do not know nor have any theories about how I got here, much less a reason why I am." Not satisfied with that answer, Kiddo. I watch him until the kid sighs and says " I suppose I should start from the beginning. There is one incident that is obviously tied to my arrival..." He describes his world and how massive chains had been fastened to the earth and Moon. He spoke of the god Veros and lunaglyphs some more. Then went on about Lunar Rain and Vermiforms. A psychotic power-crazed maniac named Leonid the Dread Knight and his followers: The Order of Chains and their "insatiable thirst for ultimate divine power". He told me about the Liberator named Sigmund, Capell, and of their followers who fought the Order and Leonid. He briefly referred to their quest to cut down each chain and Order member one by one. He described the shock of discovering Capell's and Sigmund's past. Finally he told of Veros' betrayal of the World and consecutive defeat at the hands of the second Liberator. He confessed what he feared had happened to his leader.

"...I believe the void I was in after falling asleep dropped me here. I do not know why or how, but I do believe there is a reason for my presence here." Savio concludes. Finally.

I hafta take a moment of quiet to process everything Savio told me.

"As I told you, lunaglyphs were given power by Veros himself. After Veros was defeated no one's lunaglyph was working. The Aristos, who are themselves given life because of lunar power, all began to fall asleep since the power they needed to function was no longer there."

"…...So... you died?

"I do not believe so. My consciousness entered a void after I fell asleep and the void dropped me here."

"Looks like a lot more than just your consciousness was dumped on my kitchen floor, yo."

He turns to shoot me a small smile. Huh. So he can smile! "I suppose you are right." The mood in the room seems... almost...lighter? I shoot him somethin' that's probably more of a smirk than a smile in return.

"However, that only leads to more questions." He looks at me expectantly.

"Yeah? Ask away then, yo." Why not? I don't have to answer.

"What world have I been dropped into, exactly?"

"Gaia."

He looks down at his hands and it looks like he wants to ask something he's not sure I'd like. "Spit it out."

Ah, another frown. "... What happened here?" He sounds like he doesn't really want to know. How...?

"What makes you think something happened here?" I ask. Maybe this guy's just a really good liar or a lunatic with some weird materia attached to his hand after all.

"The stars... they are so different from the stars of my own world... It is difficult to see what they are trying to show me. But I can not shake the feeling that many terrible things happened on this world."

So he can talk to the stars huh? Riiiiight.

* * *

BANG!

My eyes shoot open. It's dark. A short, familiar scream from downstairs. The fusion sword. I grab one of the blades and burst out of the bedroom and into the hallway. What was that bang? Denzel follows closely behind me. No point in wasting time telling him to go back to his room. Marlene's groggy voice asks what's going on from behind us but neither Denzel or I take the time to answer her.

We barrel downstairs through the kitchen and into the bar area where Tifa stands, unharmed, in the the center her eyes are fixed on something in the corner of the room.

"Tifa, are you alright?" I ask. She jumps at the sound but nods and gives me a small smile in reassurance. She turns back to look at the corner again. I walk over to her Denzel still following closeby and look at the corner too.

A kid. a young boy, probably around thirteen or fourteen at the most is lying sprawled across one of the table, completely naked. Marlene comes down the stairs rubbing her eyes and yawning in her green pajamas she joins the rest of us in the center of the bar. Denzel takes one look at the naked boy and covers Marlene's eyes with his hands. Marlene huffs irritatedly and swats his hands away. I silently gain their attention after a moment and press a finger to my lips. They get the message and stand quietly. I signal for them to stay where they are. Denzel looks about ready to protest but a look from Marlene quiets him.

I make my way quietly and carefully towards the boy. Snow white hair and skin a healthy shade of peach, unlike the unhealthy paleness in Sephiroth's and his remnant's had. But after my experience, I've learned it's best to be wary of males with pale hair who appeared without any explanation, no matter how young they may be.

I look back at my family. Tifa stands ready to fight. Her dark brown eyes firmly set on the boy's limp form. She's hesitant, it almost looks like she wants to help him, no doubt because he looks so young.

"Is he dead?" The boy springs into action with the sound of Denzel's voice. He's on his feet before I have any time to process how he manages it. His hands grasp at the air at his side as if reaching for a sword. He seems surprised when he found nothing there He glances down, He seems shocked, humiliated and angry when he discovers he's completely naked. The boy's eyes flit around the room. He's still crouched in a fighting position. Finally he catches sight of the blade in my hands. The large golden eyes turned calculating again sweeping around the room. Its easy to see that he's trying to assess the situation. I can practically hear the kid's brain trying to crank out a strategy.

"Where am I?!" He demands. I hear muttering from behind me.

"What?" The boy asks sharply, his fighting stance wavers slightly when he looks off somewhere behind me. Probably. His voice is low for his age.

"You're in Edge. At the Seventh Heaven Bar, our home." Marlene's voice answers.

"Marlene!" Denzel snaps. I'm about to tell her to stay quiet as well, but the young man's tense posture seems to ease a little with her presence. Maybe this really could be a misunderstanding? This boy might just be scared. I have no better idea of what to do but answer the boy's questions and maybe try to calm him down.

"I have no idea where that is." The boy says, his stance shifting to the defensive. Maybe he senses the situation as well.

"What happened, Tifa?" Marlene asks.

"I went down to get a glass of water and I saw something shining in the bar. It looked like something had torn the air apart and he fell out, limp as a ragdoll." Tifa answers. Tear the air apart? There is technology for teleportation, but why would someone want put a naked and obviously unarmed adolescent boy in the Seventh Heaven? The boy lowers his guard a little.

"Then he's trespassing!" Denzel shouts. Up goes that guard again. Fantastic. Great work, Denzel.

"For all I know you kidnapped me!" The boy declares back angrily.

"Quiet!" I need to take control of this situation before it gets too out of hand. "We don't know why you're here and you obviously don't know why either. If I put down my weapon, will you back down?"

The boy relaxes slightly, but the way he shifts his stance is so he remains light on his feet in case of a need to dodge or counterattack, prepared for combat. This boy is hardly a helpless child. Only Tifa and I are probably the only ones able to notice. This boy's a seasoned warrior. You can tell by the effortless shifts in stances and the look in those strange golden eyes.

"I will." The boy agrees.

I set down the sword and kick it to the opposite corner of the room. The boy slides into a neutral stance. Finally showing his age, he blushes in embarrassment his eyes avoiding the part of the room where Tifa and Marlene are standing, crossing his arms tightly over his chest and one leg over the other.

"Marlene, mind getting him something to wear?" I ask looking away from the boy. She nods and runs up the stairs quickly, returning with a set of pajama pants and a t-shirt.

"Hey! Those are mine!" Denzel squawks.

She walks slowly up to me and hands me the clothing.

I take a few steps forward and hand it to him. "Sorry if they're too big for you." She apologizes from behind me.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding." I say. "There's a bathroom for you to dress in over there."

"Thank you very much." The boy says, giving the first smile since the beginning of this encounter. Granted it's small and the kid's embarrassment kind of ruins it but I feel a little more at ease for seeing it. He nods and heads in the direction of the bathroom. I yawn and begin to take some chairs down from the closest table.

"You kids can go back to bed if you want. Tifa, mind staying up? I want some answers from this kid."

"I'll stay! I'll make some tea!"

"He doesn't need tea!" Denzel snarls.

"Denzel, I suggest you go upstairs if you can't even be civil to Marlene." Tifa says in her best and very effective 'Mom voice'. Marlene looks like she wants to say something but turns and heads for the kitchen.

Denzel scowls. She shoots him a challenging look. His frown deepens and he heads for the stairs. The boy steps out of the bathroom just in time for Denzel to rudely ram into his shoulder. Denzel continues up the stairs without a word, apologetic or otherwise. Damn it. The kid stares after him with an offended look for a moment but walks towards us.

The (white-haired) boy is pretty much swimming in Denzel's clothes. "My name is Touma, I apologize for my behavior." The kid, Touma states formally. Giving a straight-backed bow.

"Don't worry about it now. Take a seat." Tifa says smiling at him. "My name's Tifa Strife and this is my husband, Cloud. Marlene's in the kitchen right now making tea."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Touma answers. "Mr. Strife. Mrs. Strife."

The boy shoots each of us a smile but those strange yellow eyes still show the boy's hesitation. There's no mako glow, but someone could have found a way to conceal it. Even if it seems like paranoia, one can never be too careful. That's something I've learned all too well over the years. Still, this boy's probably just nervous because of the obvious situation.

"The water's on the stove! The tea will be ready in a few minutes!" Marlene cries entering the room again. Touma stands immediately and pulls his chair away from the table and offers it to her. Hm? Is that a blush I see on Marlene's face?

"Looks like we have ourselves a lady-killer." Tifa whispers so only I can hear.

I can't do much of anything else than scowl. Tifa giggles from my side.

"So where are you from, Touma?" I ask. He takes the seat between Marlene and I

"I was born in Halgita." Touma declares proudly.

"I've never heard of it. Is it a small town?" Tifa asks.

"Heaven's no!" Touma looks almost offended. "I can not believe that you have never heard of it! Halgita is the capital city of Her Majesty Empress Svala's great empire!"

"Empress?" An empress rules an empire, an empire conquers new lands in order to sustain itself...

"Yes, My empress is a kind and thoughtful ruler, making choices aimed solely to benefit her people." Touma answers quite happily "I will be honest though, I have no idea where I am, despite Miss Marlene's information, I have never heard of any place called Edge."

"Do you know how you got here?" I ask.

Touma shakes his head. "I regret to say that I only remember falling asleep."

"Falling asleep?" Marlene pipes up.

Touma's expression turn distant. "That's right... the others... they were falling asleep too." The room is quiet.

"When you say 'falling asleep' do you mean...?" Tifa begins to ask. She's too polite to actually ask if the 'others' Touma mentioned died. Touma looks at her,it looks like he doesn't understand but after a moment his eyes go wide.

"I do not think any of my companions are dead." Touma answers. Then after a moment he speaks softly, as if to himself "Savio said that we would simply fall asleep... after His defeat."

"'His'?"

Touma opens his mouth to answer but a loud, high pitched whistling and two loud raps on the door cut him off. Marlene jumps up and hurries to the kitchen. I go through the kitchen behind her to the back to answer the door. They had knocked at the rear entrance so it must be one of the old AVALANCHE members.

"Who is it?" I open the door a bit and "Vincent?" Last time I saw Vincent was maybe, about two years ago. I open the door completely. A little girl comes into view, blonde hair and dressed in dusty rags "Who is she?"

Vincent silently looks down her.

"My name is Svala." She answers, she doesn't wobble or fidget like a normal child, her look is direct but gentle and she has a much larger presence than any little girl ever should have. She reminds me a little of that girl from Deepground, Vincent's friend. Shelf... was that her name?

The little girl, Svala, steps up so she's standing in front of me, her small hands hold her odd, shabby garment so it doesn't drag on the ground in a way that screams high-class upbringing. She looks around, then back up at Vincent. She looks curious but she doesn't wander.

"Where did she come from?"

"If you are looking for information, I believe you will find the best source of the answers is the source of the questions." Svala states, her eyes harden slightly and her hands fold delicately over her stomach. "I do not appreciate being spoken about as if I am not here." She states. Color me impressed. She shows confidence and poise, again, far beyond her years.

"I'm sorry." I apologize and turn to face her rather than Vincent, who, as always, seems happy to blend into the back ground while others spoke until his input was absolutely needed.

"To answer your question, I am from a place called Halgita, a city that does not exist in this world." She states, without batting an eye.

"Halgita?" Now that rings a bell.

"Tea's ready! Touma, do you want any?" Marlene announces loudly.

"Touma?" Svala looks up at me. "Is Touma here as well?" She asks. I nod. She hurries off in the direction of Marlene's voice.

Marlene plops a bag of tea each into four mugs of hot water. Touma thanks her and I can't help but think that this boy is adorable. Not only in his mannerisms but he himself looks like a doll. The pretty porcelain kind.

"Touma." A young unfamiliar voice comes. A little girl dressed in dirty rags is standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Empress Svala!?" Touma rushes over to her making a hasty bow before kneeling in front of her "Why are you...?" _This_ is Empress Svala?

"I don't know. You look younger as well." She shakes her head looking worried. "But it would seem that we have both reverted back to being Meages as well as children." Reverted back to children? Then... how old could she be? How old could Touma be!?

"Hm?" Touma looks down at himself, then down at his hand. A moment later a symbol begins glowing on the back of his hand. It feels like the ground is shifting slightly beneath our feet. I take a step back.

"Tifa?" Marlene asks watching me questioningly and setting down the teapot.

"Your Majesty, do you know how this could have happened?" Touma asks, his attention focused solely on the little girl.

"I do not. All I remember is suddenly feeling tired and falling asleep." She perks up a moment. "Leonid, is he-"

Touma speaks in a formal tone, one a soldier might use when reporting to his superior. The strange thing is, he doesn't sound silly at all using that tone, as any normal child would. "The Dread Knight was defeated, Your Majesty."

Her expression is sad but she also looks relieved. "And the Ashen Chain?" Her large eyes turn hopeful.

"Destroyed." Touma answers. There's a pause, even though this seems like good news, the air around the boy was one of grief.

"The... The Force?" The little girl, Svala, sounds fearful.

Touma sighs and his head lowers. Svala looks almost ready to cry.

"We discovered that the Ashen Chain, unlike all of the others, was attached on the Moon rather than the World. Honorable Savio of Burguss, Lady Seraphina of Kolton and I performed the ancient rite to create a bridge to the Veros' palace that formed along the chain. Veros revealed malevolent plans for mankind and we defeated him as well. But... as the bridge began to collapse... Lord Capell... Lord Capell stayed behind to cut the last chain. I do not wish to say what I think has become of him."

The little girl has a look on her face that no little girl should ever wear. Her eyes are pressed shut and her mouth is drawn into a thin line. There's a crease between her eyebrows and she's clutching at her clothing. The look of someone who had lost before and has lost again. Cloud emerges from the kitchen casting a shadow over the mourning children. Vincent? That's Vincent. He looks so out of place in the kitchen. "Vincent?"

Vincent nods at me silently he briefly touches the girl's shoulder. The little girl turns away from Touma to face the cowled gunman the look of grief still on her face but her voice is strangely steady. "Yes, Vincent?" She asks.

"I asked Cloud to take you in for a while." Vincent answers.

I look over at Cloud. "As long as it's alright with you, Tifa." He says. As if I can say no! Marlene walks over and gently takes one of the little girl's, Svala's, hands and guides her over to the table, offering her some tea in a soft, comforting voice.

"I don't mind, but... where did you find her?" I ask Vincent.

"Midgar, she appeared a lot like the way Cloud said your other visitor did." Vincent looks pointedly at Touma who stands at the right hand of Svala as she sipped some tea. Touma seems to notice that he's being watched and looks at Vincent. He whispers something to Svala and hurries over to us looking determined.

"I thank you for delivering Her Majesty to safety. I, Touma, am forever in your debt. Call for my aid, and I shall be there." He salutes with his right hand curled into a fist and placed over his heart. Such an earnest boy. Is he even a boy? Vincent looks so surprised! I've never seen so much emotion on his face! He recovers quickly and his usual expressionless mask returns. He nods without a word, but he obviously accepts. He's not joking because Vincent never jokes about anything. If the man weren't immortal he'd probably die of heart disease or something else related to stress. It's a little silly to see someone accept a life debt from a kid.

Vincent leaves soon after that.

"I'm pretty sure you won't kill us in our sleep." Cloud mutters. "We're all pretty exhausted. We can talk over everything tomorrow." He looks at me for the okay. I agree.

"Do you mind sharing a bedroom with Marlene, Svala?" Svala gives a watery smile and nods. saying that she doesn't mind. "Touma, do you mind sharing with Denzel?"

"Denzel? You mean that boy on the stairs?" Touma asks looking nervous. "I would not particularly mind. But from the reception he gave me earlier, do you think it would make him unhappy?"

Marlene mutters "Denzel's unhappy about everything right now." She's never lost the frankness she had when she was younger.

My heart sinks "Denzel's just going through a rough patch, Sweetie. I'm pretty sure I wasn't very cheerful around his age, either. He has school." The WRO built schools all over the world. Before children were often taught by their parents and if they were wealthy and lucky enough they'd get personal tutors or go to small private schooling facilities. Now anyone could go for free. Denzel is already in his second year in the secondary school. Marlene's one year behind him. "He's been through so much" Denzel struggles. He had wanted so desperately to join the WRO, but Cloud had forbidden it and Reeve had visited the Seventh Heaven to personally tell Denzel that he was too young to join. I discouraged his attempts. Marlene didn't want to lose her best friend and older-brother figure (What happened with Deepground still gives the poor girl nightmares.) But it seems now that Denzel resents us, and everyone else for that matter. I know he wants to help restore the Planet to it's former glory. But he won't be able to do that as cannon fodder. He's only fifteen. It's stupid but... I want him to be a child a for a little while longer. He wants to go off and save the world, but he's angry at the whole world too. He's never let go of everything that has happened and now he's just... angry. It seems, just like Denzel has to wait to join the WRO, we'll have to wait to get that smiling, joking, laughing Denzel back until all of this blows over.

"Why? What happens to people around his age here?" Touma asks looking up at me snapping me out of my troubled thoughts. Svala seems curious as well.

I can't help but smile. "Hormones can be pretty tough." Touma and Svala look confused

"Hormones are chemicals produced by your body and brain to make it grow." Marlene explains. Touma looks confused. Svala looks slightly bemused.

"Anyways, it's very late. How about I grab you two some pajamas and we all head to bed?" I say.

"I would be most grateful!" Touma answers looking grateful for a concept that he can understand. Svala nods and thanks us as well, much more quietly than Touma.

The man in the tattered red cape left, I had not even gotten his name, I am a little disappointed by that. Perhaps Empress Svala will tell me his name. Mr. Strife was helping Mrs. Strife bring up a spare bedroll. Miss Marlene found some pajamas for Her Majesty and Mrs. Strife gave me a few fluffy blankets to sleep on. She leads me quietly down the narrow hallway and opens the second door to her right.

"This is Denzel's room. You can set up where ever you want, sorry about the mess." She whispers.

I look back at her figure standing in the doorway. "It is not a problem." I try to reassure her

She smiles whispering, "Good night."

I wish her a good night as well. The door shuts and I am overwhelmed by the silence in the room. It put's me on edge. I should at least hear breathing. Wasn't this supposed to be the boy's room? My eyes quickly adjust to the darkness and I take a look around. There is someone lying in it. I might as well tell him now that I will be sleeping here for the night. Quietly dumping the blankets on the I tip toe over to the edge of the bed. I stretch out my hand to wake him but before I can even touch him a dark voice growls. "Don't touch me."

I would be lying if I said I am not offended by his tone. His demeanor towards me as a whole has been extremely rude since we have first met. Granted it was most definitely not the best first impression I have ever made but he could at the very least act civil. "Apologies, I didn't hear you breathing so I thought... Well I am not sure what I thought but-"

"Be quiet." Denzel growls again.

" What have I done to deserve such harsh treatment?" I say, I am becoming agitated.

"I said be quiet, Trespasser!" Denzel snarls, ripping the blanket from himself and shoving his face close to mine. I scowl back, is that really what all this is about?

"Denzel what-" Mr. Strife steps in looking irritated at the loud noise, no doubt, but he freezes, his eyes quickly taking in the situation. Denzel shoots him an absolutely venomous look.

"What the hell- You know what? Forget it! I already know. Touma, you'll stay in my office, it's at the very end of the hall. Denzel, a word." The blonde man's blue eyes seem to glow. To be honest, the sight is a little terrifying. He looks truly fierce when he is angered. I quickly gather the blankets off of the floor and leave the room. Not a word is spoken before the door clicks shut behind me.

"He-" I begin, my words are stuck in my throat by Cloud's flat palm signaling me to be quiet. His look is telling me that I'll be in even worse trouble if I interrupt.

"I don't want to hear it." Cloud says.

"But-" I start. I want to tell him that the other boy can't be trusted, that they should have killed him or tossed him out on the street. But Cloud's glare cuts me off.

"I understand you're angry for some of the choices Tifa and I have made for you. What I don't understand is why you seem to think that it's fine to take it out on everyone else. He hasn't done anything to you since he came here. Honestly I think the kid is harmless."

"How are you sure he can be trusted?! What if he's another... thing like Kadaj and his gang?! Or maybe another old Shin-Ra science experiment" I blurt.

"I'm not, Denzel. But I'd rather keep him nearby in case he does have any bad intentions." Cloud says, in his usual soft tone. But I can still sense the anger in Cloud's movements. "I don't care if you keep an eye out for anything suspicious, but let it be known if I or Tifa or anyone have to break up a fight between the two of you again there will be hell to pay."

"But-" I say again, but I'm cut off by the sound of the door shutting as Cloud leaves.

I knock on the door to my office.

"Come in." I hear from the other side of the door. I enter my office and look around.

"Sorry for the mess." I mutter. My eyes linger on the sloppy stack of receipts, bills and checks that teeter on top of my desk.

"It's no problem at all. Thank you for allowing us to stay." Touma shakes his head gives me a strained smile.

"I'm sorry about Denzel too." I say.

His smile drops into a small frown at the words. "Forgive me for sounding petulant, but I am afraid that I can not fully forgive him of his actions due to the fact that he did not deliver this apology himself." He looks tired.

I nod, I don't blame him. Denzel has been with Tifa, Marlene and I for what? six years? I had hoped that in the time I have become Denzel's guardian that the boy had learned some manners. _Although, you can't say you're really Mr. Manner's either, Cloud Strife_. Says a tiny, rather Tifa-ish voice from the back of my mind.

"Just letting you know that it won't happen again. But I suggest you don't try to talk to him too much in the future." I probably know why Denzel's so furious at our acceptance of these mysterious visitors. Flashbacks of Kadaj, his gang and the hypnotized children flash through my mind.

"I should not have said anything to retaliate, I could tell he just wanted a fight. It was a moment of weakness, and that shall not happen again unless, of course, my Empress is insulted."

"I don't think Denzel will have much of an issue with her." I try to reassure him.

Touma's expression, as well as his tone of voice flattens. "It is just me, then."

"He seems much more hostile to you than anyone else, but he's at a point in his life where he is unpleasant to just about everyone except for Marlene."

"Are they siblings?"

"No, Marlene was the child of a friend of a friend and Denzel just showed up one day." I'm too tired to tell the story. I'm not even sure if I want this boy to know our stories anyway.

"I see. Neither of them are your children then. I was going to say, you and Ms. Tifa look too young to have children Marlene and Denzel's age." Touma says. He yawns widely and I'm going to take that as my cue to leave. "Good night, Mr. Strife." Touma says as I shut the door behind me.

The shriek from the dying beast echoes through the empty wasteland as its body is torn to pieces in ropes of glorious night-tinted crimson. A trail of gore litters the path that I have taken. Wandering but, of course, not lost. Wounded. Badly wounded. But I will get there. I know not where but I will know when I'm there. Surely. Veros guides me. I have been your faithful servant for so long! But him! You wanted him! Not me... Him! He didn't deserve you...your kindness... He was ungrateful... How could he? I know you're not gone... I feel you even now...Lunaglyph. I feel the throbbing. The sensual thrumming of my Lord's caress pulses through my body. Oh it is ecstasy! My lunaglyph, it shines with such an inviting light. My Dear... My Crimson One, I knew you would not forsake me I know it is meager... but take these creatures as my offerings to you! A small shack on the horizon. My vision is blurred but even so it's windows glowing with sickening yellow light is unmistakeable. I laugh. New purpose! I am worthy... I will show you... With these offerings... These will be the first of millions to know the honor of dying in My Crimson One's name!

"So Veros, all around divine dickhead extraordinaire, might be here." I say.

It wasn't a question but the kid treats it as such. "That is what our limited evidence seems to be suggesting."

"I'm afraid I'm still not entirely sure I should trust you. It's one hell of a story, yo." I rest my temple on my knuckles and my elbow on the back of the couch.

Savio frowns, but doesn't seem too terribly surprised. "But hey, man. We'll wait 'till morning to confirm your story as best as we can. Right now, I gotta hit the sack. You can take the couch, it folds out. But if I see you're gone in the morning and any of my stuff with ya, I'll hunt you down, yo!" The kid looked a bit nervous at that. Huh. I head off for the bathroom.

About a minute later a loud bang and screaming startle me into almost swallowing my damn toothbrush. I run out of the bathroom with a mouth full of toothpaste. What the hell-? I round the corner prepared to chew that green haired kid out. I do have neighbors and it'd be a miracle if they haven't been woken up yet. But there's nothing in the room that could be making the noise. I turn in time to see Savio wrenching open the balcony door again. Gaiadamnit. I follow him outside. I spit over the edge of the balcony railing. Savio runs over to yet another mysteriously appearing naked man. This guy's lying face up gasping on my balcony floor. A younger me would have been pretty damn ecstatic at the idea of naked men raining from the sky and right into my apartment, but it appears that I've aged to a point where I actually want to _sleep _at night. Well I guess no sleep for me.

Savio's attempting to calm the other guy down. "What's wrong? What hurts?" The green-haired kid asks with a calming sort of urgency. Wait, is that an oxymoron? Oh well Savio's able to pull it off somehow.

"My ankle." The new kid gasps staring up at Savio with muddy brown eyes. "Wait... I know you... You're the Lienne. Starseer." Savio makes quick work of examining the ankle for sprains and breaks.

"Must have landed on it wrong." I sigh and pick my spare pack of cigarettes off my patio table. Slide one out and light it with the lighter lying next to the ashtray. Huh maybe I should empty that out? There's not really room for any more butts. So yeah, it's probably time. I really am tired, I'm havin' trouble concentratin'. Savio looks up at me. I roll my eyes and nod my head in the vague direction of the new kid's feet. Savio raises an eyebrow but nods anyway.

"He must have." Savio says, turning back to his task. He pushes the other kid's foot backwards gently by the ball of the foot asking the other guy's to tell him if or when it hurt. This seems pretty ineffective since the new kid's in pain whether Savio left his ankle alone or not. "I am going to have to ask you to stop moving." Savio says politely but he's obviously losin' his patience.

The boy lets out a grunt and ignores him. Savio gives the boy an exasperated look before raising his hand. The bizarre symbol, or 'Lunaglyph' as Savio had called it, glows blue again. The vines that grow up the wall beside my balcony creep over, looping themselves around the new kid's limbs. Effectively restrainin' him.

Again, a younger me would've probably been more than happy to have two naked dudes, one tied up and the other doin' the tyin' in my apartment. Supposedly so the restrainer could make the restrainee 'feel better' while I sat back and watched. Now it just sounds like a prompt for a bad porno.

I snort at how ridiculous my thoughts had gotten. Savio looks up at me again. "That little trick looks like it could be pretty handy." I leer around my cigarette.

The joke flies straight over Savio's head, that or he just didn't find it funny. Without saying a word, the green-haired man turns back to the boy who's started hyperventilating. Oh boy, we gotta brave one here. "Do you have anything I can bind it with?" Savio asks me.

I nod. It's not like I'm gonna use my home medical kit anytime soon. I haven't been in a situation where I'd needed it in years. I pull it out of the cabinet under the sink and head back to Savio. I nudge the green-haired man aside. "So what's up, doc?"

"It appears to be a bad sprain." Savio states sounding a bit annoyed.

"Is that all? With all of that screaming and the hell I'm gonna get from my neighbors tomorrow, I wanted to see some gore, yo!" I say. "Hey!" I shout over at the new kid, "Hey you!" The kid finally stops moaning long enough to listen. "Stop being a pansy-ass cry baby or you'll 'ave much worse than a sprained ankle!"

Savio gives me a disapproving look. "What? You have to admit, he's being a bit over the top, yo." I shrug. Savio sighs and crosses his arms. He looks over at Pansy-Ass and says "He wouldn't really hurt you." Pansy-Ass doesn't look like he believes Savio. Good

"I'll wrap this up." I say when Savio tries to take the roll of bandages.

Savio frowns but looks back at Pansy-Ass. "Where are you from?" He asks.

Pansy-Ass stares back. "I'm from Kolton."

"Well since you obviously already know me, may I ask your name?" Savio asks

"Rolf." Pansy-Ass answers. Aparently, Savio hears me snicker at the stupid-ass name. He glares at me. I try to look innocent that I have a feeling isn't convincing in the slightest. "What?" I ask. Savio grunts irritably and turns his attention back to Pansy-Ass Rolf.

"Were you in the void as well?" Savio asks.

Rolf nods. "Where am I?"

"My apartment, yo. But I think I'm gonna move since all the sudden naked wizards decided to start falling from the sky." I say. Rolf looks slightly confused. I gotta feeling that Savio's ignorin' me, yo.

"I need you to stay calm, Rolf." Savio says leaning in and ignoring another snort from me. "But it would seem the void dropped us in a world that is not our own. I do not know how or why. But Reno" Savio gestures to me while I use a couple of those little metal clippy things to hold the bandage together. "is going to help us discover the reasons for our current situation."

"Hey, I never said that, yo." I say. Savio shoots me a dirty look in response.

Savio unwinds the vines from Pansy-Asses body and my balcony. Savio allows Rolf to use him as a crutch and they made their way inside again. I pick up my first aid kit, toss my half-finished smoke over the edge of the balcony and follow behind them.

"You guys can chat n' try ta' figure things out, I'm headin' ta bed, yo." I yawn and walk in the direction of my beautiful, wonderful, dark, cozy bedroom. I pick up two pairs of clean boxers and toss both pairs into the living room not even staying to see where they landed. I tell the two to make themselves decent before marching off to my soft, comfy bed. I'll take Savio and Pansy-Ass to Shin-Ra tomorrow morning. Tseng won't be happy, but hell, I'm still the second in command, that has to count for something, right?

Shirt. Dirty. Toss it in the hamper. Pants not-really-all-that-dirty I toss them over the back of the desk chair, I collapse onto my fucking fantastic bed. I want to but I can't really fall asleep knowing that there's two not really trustworthy people in my apartment. I can hear their soft, muffled murmurs through the thin, cheaply-built walls of my home. The deep, kinda nasaly one must be Savio's voice. Pansy-Asses voice's higher, but not in any way quieter than Savio's. So here I lie, a grown man of 31 years, face-down on my bed in nothing but a pair of flimsy cotton boxers, eavesdropping on the two complete strangers chatting in my living room at 3:54am. I bury my face in my pillow and groan.

I'm too fucking old for this, yo.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it! I'll be uploading more chapters soon if the feedback comes in decent amounts. My common sense says "Silly SinGrin, you know hardly anyone in the western world has even heard of Infinite Undiscovery and even less people have actually sought it out on a fan fiction site!" Well shut up Common Sense, no one asked you.


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